Bob Hewitt
A dominant tennis doubles champion who won a career Grand Slam, but whose legacy is irrevocably marred by criminal conviction and imprisonment.
Born 1940 (age 86)·South African convicted rapist and professional tennis player·Birthday: January 12·The Silent Generation
Biography
Bob Hewitt's story is a jarring tale of two starkly different lives. In the first, he was a ferocious and brilliant doubles specialist, one of the best to ever play the game. Born in Australia, he later represented South Africa, forming legendary partnerships with the likes of Frew McMillan. Together, they dominated the 1970s, capturing nine men's doubles majors and completing a career Grand Slam. Hewitt's powerful serve and volley, combined with McMillan's deft touch, made them nearly unbeatable. He also found great success in mixed doubles, winning six more major titles. This celebrated sporting narrative was violently shattered decades later when allegations of sexual abuse of underage girls he coached in South Africa surfaced. In 2015, he was convicted and sentenced to prison, a fall from grace that forced the tennis world to confront the dark shadows behind a once-gilded career, leading to his expulsion from the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Bob was born in 1940, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1940
#1 Movie
Fantasia
Best Picture
Rebecca
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1940Born
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1945Started school
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1953Became a teenager
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1956Could drive
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1958Could vote
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Turned 21
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1970Turned 30
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 40
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 50
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 60
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 70
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 80
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 86 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won 9 men's doubles Grand Slam titles, completing a career Grand Slam with partner Frew McMillan.
- Also won 6 mixed doubles Grand Slam titles, achieving a career Grand Slam in that discipline as well.
- Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1992, though he was later expelled in 2016.
Did You Know?
He was known for his exceptionally powerful serve and volley game, even for a doubles specialist.
He and Frew McMillan were famous for their 'Hewitt-McMillan' backgammon-style signals during matches.
He coached several prominent South African players, including Amanda Coetzer, early in their careers.
“I have nothing to say about that.”
